She now says it unfairly penalizes her fellow runners such as sprinter Dwain Chambers.

Britain is the only country with such a severe penalty for doping.

“I actually supported the rule that if you had a drugs ban you shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Olympics — it should be a life ban,” she said. “But at the moment it’s unfair because Dwain [Chambers] is the only one who is really being penalized for it. … It has to be a rule that’s fair across the board … it isn’t fair to penalize Dwain.”

Eight years ago, Chambers tested positive for THG. He was the first athlete who was connected with BALCO drug scandal.

“He is one of the few who stuck his hands up and said ‘I did cheat and I’m sorry,’ and admitted it,” Radcliffe commented.

Radcliffe was speaking at the opening of a Nike store in London. She recently returned from Monaco where she petitioned IAAF president Lamine Diack to not change the ruling on women’s world records.

Duncan Larkin

Duncan Larkin is a freelance journalist and author who’s been covering the sport of running for over a decade. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. He wrote the book RUN SIMPLE, and coaches runners of all abilities.
You can learn more about him here: http://roadsmillslaps.tumblr.com/about